My Morning/Evening Running Split, Then and Now

My running routine seems to be changing to something I hadn't done since the 11th grade in high school, when I was a dubious member of its track team as a mile and two-mile runner.  Starting in March of that year, our coach decided to have the runners come in before school in the morning and run about three miles.  Then we would have our regular practice in the afternoon: more running, of course.  And within the past few days, I have begun to repeat this process: a morning run around my neighborhood and an evening treadmill session at my gym.  So far it seems to be working well; maybe it will become a permanent routine.

Thinking about those old times before school in early 1973 brought back some fond memories to me.  I would finish my pleasant, low-stress run with my teammates, shower, dress, and then go get a couple of doughnuts.  Then I'd trudge over to my first period chemistry class, which was open before the official start of school.  My chemistry teacher, whose name escapes me but which is probably in one of my yearbooks, was a little man with a lot of big opinions about things.  One of his main areas of interest was politics, and if you were around in that period the main political event was the Watergate scandal of the Nixon administration with the star attraction being the Senate Watergate hearings, presided over by North Carolina senator Sam Ervin.  My chem teacher would have the chemistry lab's television constantly tuned in to the hearings, and he would hang around our counter watching the proceedings while making off-hand derogatory comments about Nixon; chemistry was a distraction to him.  Aah, those were the days, as another character from that era, Archie Bunker, would sing...